J-Horror’s Long Black Hair Gets Bite

It seems like the horror fan’s life is comprised of months and months of near boredom, sampling new movies you know are going to be bad only to discover that every one of them is utter crap, if not worse.

And then along comes a movie that appears so promising, you’re not even sure what aspect of the film to go gaga (or possibly in this case, GoGo) over first.

Coming July 29th to North America (at least according to Amazon) is a J-Horror offering called alternatively Exte, Ekusute and Hair Extensions that, if the trailer is any guide, promises to be that rare thing in shudder cinema: a genuinely fun movie.

Chiaki Kuriyama (fan-favorite GoGo Yubari from Kill Bill Vol. 1) stars as a hair salon apprentice who becomes entangled in the horror wreaked by a series of cursed hair extensions harvested from a murdered girl that seemingly have a mind of their own.

All right, forget the plot! This flick comes to us from writer/director Sion Sono, the force behind 2001’s addictive head-scratcher Suicide Club, so you know you’re in for something strange, creepy and a cut above the usual dump-it-quick J-Horror fare. Add to this the bizarre stylings of co-star Ren Osugi (the spiral-obsessed father in Uzumaki; also Cure, Sonatine) and you’ve got yourself a promising cult corker. Here’s hoping the finished product lives up to the promise. And for an in-depth look at the best in Asian Horror, you might want to reserve your copy of The New Horror Handbook today.